Recently, GUITAR WORLD Magazine released an exclusive, compelling, and unique feature regarding the reactivation of numerous famous guitars and amps owned by SLAYER’s late guitar-god, JEFF HANNEMAN--now acquired by BROKEN HOPE guitarist and HANNEMAN loyalist, JEREMY WAGNER.

After getting picked up at the train station by our host Mark, we met him at the Deep Blues festival in Clarksdale, MS this past October. Mark and his beautiful girlfriend Andrea let us stay at their country home, and the hospitality was over the top.

Rosenheim is a smallish city and the Asta club where we played was one of the only games in town. The soundcheck was easy and I finally got an amp that was easy to drive - a fender Hot Rod Deluxe. The skin on Sarah's floor tom is getting stretched out and is starting to sound like she's hitting a piece of bologna. Sadly the only music store in Rosenheim didn't carry the right size so bologna it is!

We had 9 minutes to transfer to our connecting train to make the show on time and we made it! With all of our shit that we're carrying it was no small feat. We then proceeded to get drunk on the train once the hard work was over. Sarah ate a curry that wasn't bad. We arrived in Vienna and met up with our host Stefan. Super nice guy, who just happened to be the manager of the club we're playing at. We walked to the club in the rain and I ate a falafel from a Turkish food stand that was pretty tasty.

Monday, December 14, 2015

Star Wars‬ fun
fact, Chewbacca used to play in a band at the Cantina on Bass. When
things didn't jive with Chewie's style of finger slappin', the lead
singer's Imperial ways got the best of him. A fit was thrown and
Chewbacca being the Rebel he is, knocked him out cold and left on a
starship with another infamous smuggler. We are proud to have made his
bass strap and to support Rebels all across the galaxy.

Saturday, December 12, 2015

Have You Checked Out The Lineup For The Nashville Boogie
Yet? This is going to be one hell of a shindig and with the amount of
bands lining up to make this a great time, you best bet it will be
talked on for years to come.

Thursday, December 10, 2015

James Hetfield, the man himself, sat down with us at Guitar Center in San Francisco. In the small room, he shared stories about becoming a musician, rising to fame, and even played a bit. All the while, customers continued to shop in the store, having no idea it was James playing, Hetfield's new ESP Iron Cross.

Cardboard Chaos is here and it’s time to riff on a new idea! Rock out with your cardboard stock out! This episode we work with a master builder at the Fender Custom Shop to see if paper has the ability to handle the look, feel and sound of one of the world’s most recognizable guitars, the Fender Stratocaster. A master builder can make just about anything look good, but will it sound good? Will it have tone and will it be able to handle the heat and get approval from one who rocks for a living in one of the most ass kicking bands of the last two decades, Linkin Park?! It’s a tall order and with roughly 250lbs of torque put on the neck of a guitar from the strings

Catl Invades Europe On Tour and Lands In Freiburg, Tour Write Up Part 3

We left our friends Sabina and Frank in Cologne. I bought and consumed a delightful cheese sandwich from a local vendor and off we went to Freiburg which signaled the beginning of 8 shows straight. This will either turn us into the tightest, sloppy rock and roll band or we'll drop dead trying.

After arriving at the Slow Club and got ripped off by the cabbie. He's what you call in German - a dickhead (very similar to English). The club looked kinda non-descript from the outside, but what wonders filled its hallowed halls. Never have we been taken care of better than the people that ran this club. All the local beer and organic wines we could swallow, a beautifully prepared pumpkin soup and lasagna dinner and a place to sleep upstairs. I've seen some band crash-pads in my day and I wouldn't let a blind dog sleep in them. This place was gorgeous with a fully stocked kitchen, linens on the beds, a shower and fresh towels. Spotless.

Catl Invades Europe, Tour Write Up Part 2 While Rolling Through Belgium and meeting the good luck monkey.

So we got driven to Mons, which is an hour away from Brussels in two small cars with all our gear. I said "wouldn't one giant American-style car be enough?", and everyone hugged and laughed and lit their cigarettes.

We played downtown near their city hall where they had a beautiful giant Christmas tree surrounded by some very unsteady skaters. Apparently, we shouldn't expect any hockey threats coming out of Belgium.

Sarah and me prepped for the show by 'touching the good luck monkey' near the Mons City Hall. We reluctantly rubbed its shiny little noggin and wouldn't you know it, the show was killer. Thanks Mr. Lucky-Monkey-Man!

Sunday, December 6, 2015

Watching bands tour from afar can be quite entertaining and we have decided to open up our news feed for bands on the label and bands that we really dig. This is cool way to document tours and for an expose into what it takes to move from show to show and all the great things that can happen along the way. Over the next few weeks our favorite Canadian blues rockers, Catl will be broadcasting about their current European tour. Have a read below:

"Innovation
is one of the very things that keeps a genre growing, and thriving. It
helps take down all of the boundaries, and really gives it a fresh new
sound. While southern metal has been around for quite some time now, you
don’t see too much of it anymore, at least anywhere near the mainstream
circuit. Bands like Maylene and the Sons of Disaster, Texas Hippie
Coalition, Honky, and Norma Jean popularized the combining of metal and
country music influence, and now Stump Tail Dolly is taking it to a
whole new level. A duo of two feisty, and sensational artists, “STD” is
bringing back a style of music that quite a few consumers of both the
metal, and country scene enjoy.

Feature podcast interview with Monster Magnet on the MetalSucks podcast

MetalSucks podcast is always a great listen and one thing we enjoy hearing about are the nuggets of wisdom within the business of the music industry. For as much as we know and understand, there are so many angles to look and to comprehend based upon your goals, needs, wants, etc. It is a great listen to hear what Dave Wyndorf has to say about his music progression and what many are alluding to when they speak of the always fascinating numbers. Have a listen below...

Friday, November 20, 2015

"Possibly
one of the rarest American motorcycles ever assembled, the Cyclone
powered, OHC 8-valve Reading Standard factory works racer is
photographed here with legend Ray Creviston on the company dock in 1921.
Beginning in 1903, Reading Standard began manufacturing high quality
American motorcycles known for their durability, and from the start the
Pennsylvania based company garnered accolades for their performance on the track.

Thursday, November 19, 2015

Cascade Record Pressing Is Open For Business And Bringing The Heat To The Vinyl Record Manufacturing Competition

Cascade Record Pressing Is Open For Business and looking to expand upon the small stable of vinyl manufacturers operating within the continental United States. We can personally validate their quality as they sent us a test pressing and it is well made and the sound quality is fantastic. Best of luck fellas and hopefully we will be working with yall in 2016 on some 7" vinyl record projects we are planning to release.

"On May 28, Cascade Record Pressing's website went live, with the ability to accept orders from labels and musicians for all types of vinyl projects, with runs of 500 records and up. These orders are fulfilled at Cascade's brand-new plant in Milwaukie, Oregon, where sacks of PVC pellets the size of lentils are transformed into flat, shiny 12-inch records, packed with grooves of sound.

Hollywood Hot Rods is a name synonymous with style and finesse. Troy Ladd has been honing his craft for a number of years in a small shop over the hill from Hollywood in Burbank, CA for a number of years now. His builds have landed him within the pages of a plethora of magazines and featured on many covers, but that is just the tip of the iceberg. The real depth comes from within the man himself. His easy going nature and zeal for building cars from the ground up is equal parts infectious and down right holy. Craftsmanship is a fading concept in many areas of our disposable culture. Thankfully people like Troy Ladd continue to push the perceived limits.

Watch Jim D'Addario join Bill Collings of Collings Guitars in Austin, TX to talk shop about music and guitars. Watching the craftsmanship that goes into these great instruments is a fascinating glimpse into an American company that is building instruments the right way.

Good on Josh Homme of the Queens Of The Stone Age and the Eagles of Death Metal for using his foundation to honor the musicians, crew and fans that were killed in Paris during a terrorist attack and donating all money received to them through December 31, 2015.

"The mission of The Sweet Stuff Foundation is to help our musical community and their families with the vital elements often overlooked during periods of illness and disability. Things like transportation to medical treatment, assistance with childcare and tuition, income assistance, the "last wishes" of a lifetime, and special treatments not covered by insurance. The healing power of music is also a vital form of preventative medicine. That's why the Sweet Stuff Foundation's two prong approach is also committed to providing assistance for music lessons, instruments, and musical collaborations for children. To help foster an atmosphere of creativity & introduce a healthy outlet via music, so that the "Sweet Stuff' will continue for generations to come."

Wednesday, November 18, 2015

We love belt buckles, lets just say it out loud. Each one of our belt
buckles starts from a blank sheet of aluminum in 0.188" plate and is
then water jet cut to our exact specifications. Once we get the blanks
back into our shop, the process of etching the designs into the metal
takes place and we craft each buckle one at a time. The process is
tedious and time consuming, but creating an indelible mark on a piece of
metal is an absolute triumph and makes us quite proud.

Thursday, November 12, 2015

Motobunny Has The Coolest Song In the World, As Featured On Little Steven's Underground Garage

Have you checked out this week's Coolest Song in the World "Lets Go Out" from Motobunny on Little Steven's Underground Garage on Sirius XM. Motobunny is made up of members of two different bands…The Wooly Bandits from Los Angeles and The Love Me Nots out of Phoenix. This is from their debut eponymous album. Co-lead singer Christa Collins will be The Mighty Manfred's guest on Coolest Conversations this Friday. Grab a copy of this great album in our webstore.Order the album now

Wednesday, November 11, 2015

Whiskeydick continues to conquer and today added one more notch to their Texas sized belt of achievements. On their day off they were asked to stop in to the Gibson offices in Nashville to play some tunes. not only did they win over the staff but Gibson President David Berryman enjoyed them so much he signed Rev Johnson's guitar and Fritz was also given a full Epiphone Guitars endorsement! Quality music, great attitudes and a work ethic like no other, Whiskeydick may be the Bastard Sons of Texas but they are now on the path to bring Heavy Metal Honky Tonk to the world!

Friday, November 6, 2015

We would like to tell yall about a great band and couple of people that have recently joined Rusty Knuckles Music. Damn proud to have Lucy and Ryan on board with their new project Stump Tail Dolly. Equal parts rootsy americana and melded with the riffing and thrashiness of metal, this hybrid sound is a unique amalgamation and about to hit the road for touring.

Ryan Clackner and Lucy Cochran (sometimes separately, sometimes together) have toured, performed or recorded with Bob Wayne, Fifth
on the Floor, Shooter Jennings, JD Wilkes, The Legendary Shack Shakers,
Red Simpson, Sarah Gayle Meech, The Local Memories, Joe's Truck Stop,
Tyshawn Sorey, and many others. They've opened for Social Distortion,
Tiger Army, Hank III, George Thorogood, Unknown Hinson, Roger Clyne, JJ
Grey, Scott Biram and more. Ryan has appeared in multiple music videos,
including "Hush Hush" by The Pistol Annies. Lucy is an award-winning
contest fiddler.

Tuesday, November 3, 2015

On today's episode, we head to the University of Chicago to speak with
one of the nation's leading neurosurgeons, Dr. David Frim, PhD. Dr. Frim
discusses the basics of brain surgery and how surgeons will examine the
brain to make sure they avoid damaging the areas that effect speech and
motion. He also discusses why some patients perform their instruments
during surgery, and how music, and its effect on the brain, is currently
being studied by doctors.

The Excavators album was recorded in a couple hours at someones house in Reno, NV sometime in late October of 2010. The Excavators consist of Leroy Virgil and Rico Peterson of Hellbound Glory, performing all tracks. All performances are raw and the recording techniques used are extremely primitive. The album comes out November 27th 2015 on Rusty Knuckles Music.

Pre-order your copy now 1. Big Time2. World Coming To An End3. Feudin'4. Working Hard A'int Hardly Workin5. Another Dead Friend6. The Repo Man7. Stateline8. The Black Mass9. If The Good Lords A Good Ol' Boy10. Bonus Track L.O.F.

Husky Burnette Feature Profile Page With The D'Addario Suite of Music Gear

Absolute huge congratulations for Husky Burnette
on being selected as an officially endorsed artist by the great folks
at D'addario. This is a huge honor and recognition of his abilities as a
musician and performer. Great things coming up for Husky as well with
new album about to launch and a myriad of other happenings we are poised
to announce.

Monday, November 2, 2015

All of our belt buckles are made by hand one at a time. Creating items that will last for many a decade is a proud accomplishment and we cannot thank everyone enough who has purchased one from us. Keep an eye out as our line of belt buckles will continue to grow according to the new bands and clients that we continue to grow with.

Friday, October 30, 2015

Buy this great album from WhiskeydickAt the lonesome crossroads where country and metal intersect, stand two swaggering badasses holding acoustic guitars. They're not interested in your soul they have plenty of soul already. Cult favorites WhiskeyDick blow minds with a double barrel blast of dreadnaught shredding and hillbilly bellowing that makes you want to knock back a shot, stand up tall, and holler "Oh-hell-yeehaw!"

Tuesday, October 27, 2015

We are big fans of Colt 45 malt liquor beer, so we had to make a personal belt buckle

The Requests keep coming in for a plethora of styles of belt buckles and custom requests. As they roll in, we will continue to crank out new ideas and to refine our process for a truly handmade belt buckle and one that is hand crafted one at at time.Shop our belt buckles on Etsy

We are big fans of Colt 45 malt liquor beer, so we had to make a personal belt buckle

Imperial Army from Star Wars insignia belt buckle

Imperial Army from Star Wars insignia belt buckle

Jedi's are the ninja's of the Rebel Alliance and their logo is the perfect belt buckle

Jedi's are the ninja's of the Rebel Alliance and their logo is the perfect belt buckle

Sunday, October 25, 2015

"Legend is a word that’s thrown around probably too much, but there’s no
real other way to describe Keith Richards. What else can you even say
about the Rolling Stones guitarist? The 71-year-old is not only
responsible for creating some of the most monumental music we’ve enjoyed
over the last five decades, but his influence—alongside the Stones—have
shaped music and the world that surrounds it. Watch our latest episode
of Guitar Moves in which host Matt Sweeney lives his dream, freaks out,
and sits down with Richards himself. Ever wanted to know how Richards
learned how to play the guitar? Well, it started with his grandfather..."

Thursday, October 22, 2015

Husky Burnette Has Been Selected As An Official Artist For The D'addario Music Gear Company

Absolute huge congratulations for Husky Burnette
on being selected as an officially endorsed artist by the great folks
at D'addario. This is a huge honor and recognition of his abilities as a
musician and performer. Great things coming up for Husky as well with
new album about to launch and a myriad of other happenings we are poised
to announce.

Wednesday, October 21, 2015

Quite stoked about the huge response for the Buzzoven Belt Buckle, so we went ahead and started to produce some for our webstore. Each buckle is etched from aluminum plate and they are roughly 3.25" wide by 2.65" tall. Check into our webstore and order yours today.

Monday, October 19, 2015

You've heard of the Baja 1000, but there's an even crazier race called the Mexico 1000 that's as much a giant part as it is a race. Lifted trucks, buggies, and old American muscle cars race down the peninsula.Follow this and more on Jalopnik

Cranking out new custom merchandise from week to week can be quite tough. It might be a line of guitar straps one week and next it could be merch associated with a brand new album about to launch as part our music label. Either way, we are neck deep here in the shop in a wide variety of projects. Keeping that diversity is what we enjoy the most and one in which keeps us constantly busy.

Get in touch with us about custom gear for your band - ralph.knuckles at gmail

Wednesday, October 14, 2015

Reading a plethora of articles around the ever changing and evolving
landscape of the music industry, is a constant reminder to us that in
this industry, it's all about adapt or die. If you think you are going
to be making a living off selling cds and hitting
the road, you should just stay at home, save the gas moneyand the frustration. Instead focus on the big picture about cultivating your audience and perfecting your craft to the utmost. Fans will find your music through all the channels available and if they are listening in droves, it is time to start a plan of action.

Learn more about Alex Bishop and his luthier work"My passion as a guitar maker comes from a life-long obsession with making things. From a young age I have always tried to manipulate objects and materials in order to create something entirely different. I find that working with wood is a way for me to connect with nature. The simple act of shaping wood to make something functional or beautiful brings me endless satisfaction.

Having left a degree in Aerospace Engineering in Bath, I moved to London in 2007 to pursue the possibility of becoming a guitar maker. I studied for a BSc degreee in 'Musical Instruments' at London Metropolitan University, and I graduated in 2010 with a First Class Honours degree, the 'Top Thirty Student' award, and the 'University Recognition Award For Academic Excellence' award. Working for three years under the expert guidance of Nicholas Blishen, Norman Myall, Martin Bowers and Godefroy Maruejouls, I developed a flair for guitar making.

"Lenny Shiller is a lifelong Brooklyn resident and classic car collector. He has amassed a staggering 58 rare classic cars, while he also owns hundreds of vintage bikes, motorcycles, and memorabilia. Lenny spends his time restoring and maintaining his collection, with the intention one day to pass them on to the next generation. The walls of his 12,000 sq ft garage in Gowanus are stacked with car parts he has collected over the years, the space resembling part working garage, part museum."

Find out plenty more about this great bike on BikeExif.com or Ronin Motorworks"Travis Newbold races Ronin #1 (OISHI YOSHIO) in the 93rd Pikes Peak International Hill Climb, June 28th, 2015. Ronin was #2 in motorcycles and #10 overall. Road conditions were "slick" due to the heat and the Ronin was starting on a cold engine to help with cooling during the latter part of the race.The Pikes Peak Auto Hill Climb was first held on August 1916. Through the years the road was widened and some sections paved. It is now fully-paved after work was completed in 2011, and this summer’s race will be the first on all asphalt for the competitors.

Besides the now-completed paving, the course and race format have not changed significantly from the original. Drivers and cars came from all over the world to compete in one of the most grueling courses known to the world of racing.

Instagram never fails to be chock full of good ideas and great pages to follow. Do yourself a favor and check out the incredible line work of Hafidz Musa and his great illustration style. Seeing his work makes you realize that maybe a sketch is a bit more than some scribbly lines with dashes of black in. His work interjects the viewer directly into the image and makes you feel as if something is about to come to life.

Tuesday, October 13, 2015

From all the reports, missing out on the Motorboat Cruise was once again a kick in the gut. Officially planting the seed and starting to save some side cash for future trips like this. A couple of days out on the high seas with the best damn music possible. This is how you are supposed to vacation!

Monday, October 12, 2015

Whiskeydick are about to wrap up the last leg on their second
European tour for 2015. UK folks, get out to these shows as the fellas
are already lining up festival gigs and will have some great tour
announcements for 2016 when they head back over. Good things coming up
for those Bastard Sons Of Texas!Oct 15 - The Craufurd Arms - Milton Keynes, UKOct 16 - The Anvil - Bournemouth, UKOct 17 - The Masons Swansea, Swansea, UKOct 18 - The Caledonia - Liverpool, UKOct 19 - The Library - Oxford, UKOct 20 - The Quakerhouse - Darlington, UKOct 21 - Bannermans Bar - Edinburgh, UKOct 22 - Bad Apples - Leeds, UKOct 23 - The Big Red - London, UK

Sunday, October 11, 2015

Furnace Manufacturing Has Now Secured 10 Refurbished Vinyl Record Pressing Machines From Mexico

After the explosion of vinyl records, lag times for albums to come out will hopefully be a bit quicker on the production side of the things. Many records are actually being made in the Czech Republic or Germany and there are only a handful of companies actually making their vinyl here in the good ol' USA. Now for that short list you can add Furnace Manufacturing to that select group, after they secured ten vinyl record pressing machines out of Mexico. Kudos to them for helping to bring some much needed steam back to the this once again burgeoning industry and doing it in Fairfax, Virginia.

Wednesday, October 7, 2015

Colin Hanks Directs Documentary Film About The Rise And Fall of Tower Records

"In the first trailer for the Colin Hanks documentary “All Things Must Pass,” we see the events that led to the rise — and eventual fall — of iconic record store chain Tower Records. In 1999, Tower Records made $1 billion. In 2006, the company filed for bankruptcy. The documentary charts the store’s rise to prominence as an international chain to the conditions that led to its downfall. The film also features interviews with music legends like Elton John, Bruce Springsteen and Dave Grohl. Each shares fond memories of the days when they could walk into Tower Records and immediately connect with staff, who knew everything there was to know about the latest music.Hanks directed the film, with Steven Leckart serving as writer. Glen Zipper and Nicholas Ferrall executive produced, while Sean M. Stuart produced. The film premiered at the 2015 SXSW film festival. It will debut in theaters on October 16th."View this story and more on The Wrap

HBO Is Set To Release New Series About A Fictional Record Label From The 1970's, Directed and Conceptualized By Martin Scorcese and Mick Jagger

Set in 1970s America, Vinyl follows the fictional American Century Records, a label struggling to reinvent itself and capture a new sound. Boardwalk Empire’sBobby Cannavale plays the record executive, with both Martin Scorcese and Mick Jagger conceptualizing and directing.As part of the ‘set,’ Scorcese transformed Brooklyn’s Rough Trade record shop into a 1970-era Sam Goody. Perhaps resurrecting a more complicated Tower Records was too tall a task, though Colin Hanks has just released a documentary chronicling the rise-and-fall of the recording industry’s biggest retail outlet.

Continental Is On Tour In Europe And Prepares For New Album The Spring Of 2016

2016 is lining up to be a great year and we are damn proud to have Continental Band on board with a brand new album for the late spring. Rick Barton and the crew are currently on tour in Europe so get out to see them live!

Monday, October 5, 2015

Over the last few days we have been collecting our thoughts on all that transpired throughout the week at the International Bluegrass Music Association's conference here in Raleigh. This show is remarkable on many levels, stemming from the business conference with seminars on a plethora of topics relating to music industry sales, social media growth, promotions, etc, to the live show performances, along with the trade show aspect of the main exhibit hall, where we along with many other companies were set up. This was our second year, being part of the industry trade show during the IBMA's and it was quite the welcoming feeling to have music industry titans such as Nechville Banjo's and D'addario treat us as equals. We have a long way to go and a lot of new ideas upcoming for the 2016 show season and cannot wait to start the festival season once again, to showcase our great line of custom straps for banjos, guitars and mandolins.

Banjo Buck and Richard Bicknell, enjoying the good times at the IBMA's

Banjo Buck helping to make a custom strap for Richard who works with the IBMA's

Helping out a young mandolin player

Was great to have our home city of Raleigh, NC feature us on their twitter feed